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26-11-2021
By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies
DOHA/ KABUL/ ISLAMABAD/ WASHINGTON/ DUBAI: Next week’s talks between the United States and the Taliban in Doha, the second such meeting since the movement seized power will open a “new chapter” in political ties, the group said Wednesday.
Washington said Tuesday it would continue to hold talks with the Taliban following a meeting between the two sides in the Qatari capital on October 9-10.
“A new phase of negotiations will begin next week between Afghanistan and America in Qatar,” the Taliban said on their official Arabic Twitter account.
“At this stage, talks will address opening a new chapter in political relations between the two countries, resolving economic issues, and the implementation of the terms in the previous Doha agreement.”
The US State Department said the proposed two weeks of negotiations will address several issues such as fighting the threat of the Daesh and Al-Qaeda groups, as well as humanitarian aid.
Talks will also focus on how to offer safe passage out of Afghanistan for US citizens and Afghans who worked for Washington during the 20-year war.
The American delegation will be led by the US special representative for Afghanistan, Thomas West.
Last week, West insisted that any financial and diplomatic support from Washington to the Taliban was based on certain conditions.
He said the Taliban have to install an inclusive government, respect the rights of minorities, women and girls, and provide equal access to education and employment.
Amir Khan Muttaqi, foreign minister of the Taliban government which is not recognized by the international community last week called for the release of Afghan assets frozen by the US in an open letter to the US Congress.
Meanwhile, the United States Wednesday said that it will resume talks with the Afghan Taliban next week in Qatar to address, among other issues, the fight against terrorism and the humanitarian crisis in the country.
The American delegation will be led by the US special representative for Afghanistan, Tom West, for the planned two weeks of discussions, State Department spokesman Ned Price said Tuesday.
The two sides will discuss “our vital national interests,” which include counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda, humanitarian assistance, Afghanistan´s devastated economy, and safe passage out of Afghanistan for US citizens and Afghans who worked for the United States during the 20-year war.
West met two weeks ago in Pakistan with representatives of the Taliban that seized power in August as US forces completed their withdrawal.
A first session between the two sides was held October 9-10 in the Qatari capital Doha, where US diplomats overseeing relations with Afghanistan transferred after the Taliban takeover.
West reiterated on Friday US conditions for the Taliban to receive US financial and diplomatic support: fight terrorism, install an inclusive government, respect the rights of minorities, women and girls, and provide equal access to educations and employment.
He said the United States would continue to have dialogue with the Taliban and for now provide only humanitarian aid.
Earlier, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has held talks with the Taliban to run Kabul airport, going up against Gulf rival Qatar in a diplomatic tussle for influence with Afghanistan’s new rulers, according to four sources with knowledge of the matter.
UAE officials have held a series of discussions with the group in recent weeks to discuss operating the airport that serves as landlocked Afghanistan’s main air link to the world, the foreign diplomats based in the Gulf region told Reuters.
The talks demonstrate how countries are seeking to assert their influence in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan even as the ruling group largely remains an international pariah and its government is not formally recognized by any country.
The Emiratis are keen to counter diplomatic clout enjoyed there by Qatar, according to the sources who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.
The Qataris have been helping run the Hamid Karzai International Airport along with Turkey after playing a major role in evacuation efforts following the chaotic US withdrawal in August, and have said they are willing to take over the operations.
Yet the Taliban has not yet formalized an arrangement with Qatar, the four diplomats said.
A senior Emirati foreign ministry official said the UAE, which previously ran Kabul airport during the US-backed Afghan republic, “remains committed to continuing to assist in operating” it to ensure humanitarian access and safe passage.
Abu Dhabi also aided recent evacuation efforts.
The Taliban and Qatari authorities did not respond to requests for comment.
Two of the diplomats said the Taliban has also sought financial assistance from the UAE, though they added it was not clear if this was related to the airport discussions.
The Emirati foreign ministry official, Salem Al Zaabi, director of international security cooperation, did not respond to a question on whether the UAE was considering providing financial help to the Taliban.
Airport intelligence
One key issue that’s still to be resolved between the Taliban and potential airport operators is who would provide security at the site, the four diplomats said. The Taliban say they do not want foreign forces in the country following their return to power after two decades of war.
Still, Qatari Special Forces are presently providing security within the airport’s perimeter, the diplomats added, while Taliban Special Forces were patrolling areas outside.
So far countries have been reluctant to formally recognize the Taliban’s government, accusing the group of backtracking on pledges to uphold the rights of women and minorities.
Yet Qatari officials have urged greater international engagement with the Taliban to prevent impoverished Afghanistan from falling into a humanitarian crisis. Gulf States have also voiced concern that the U.S. withdrawal would allow al Qaeda to regain a foothold in Afghanistan.
While there is a little commercial benefit for any operator, the airport would provide a much-needed source of intelligence on movements in and out of the country, according to the four diplomats, who said that since the withdrawal many countries have lacked real-time information.
Regional rivalries
Qatar and the UAE have had strained relations for years as they competed for regional influence.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia and their allies boycotted Qatar for over three years, cutting off political, trade and transport ties, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism – a charge that it denies. The dispute was resolved in January this year.
Qatar has long been the gateway to the Taliban, with Doha hosting the group’s political office since 2013 and negotiations with the U.S. in early 2020 that led to the withdrawal.
Last week, Qatari officials strengthened their position by signing an accord to represent American diplomatic interests in Afghanistan.
The UAE has maintained ties with the Taliban too, according to two of the diplomats. They said the country had been home to some members of the group in recent years, including Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, who they added lived in the Sharjah emirate with his family from at least 2013. Stanikzai is now deputy foreign minister in the Taliban administration.
Al Zaabi did not respond to questions on the UAE’s relationship with Stanikzai. The Taliban did not immediately respond to queries on Stanikzai living in the UAE.
The Taliban said this month that the UAE had reopened its embassy in Kabul. The UAE has not commented.
